Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Continues
by Hufflepuff Batboy
Summary: In this fan-written sequel to "The Adventure Begins", James the Red Engine is feeling all puffed up in the smokebox following his crash from several days ago, which leads to him in trouble with Sir Topham Hatt before he goes down the path of redemption. Meanwhile, there's trouble on the mainline when there's no station pilot, but who can fulfill that role?
1. The Trouble with Coaches

A streak of red whizzed by the Sudrian countryside, scaring some nearby wildlife away from the trees and bushes in which they had settled. Bridges and stations flashed by to the red streak as he approached his destination; the yards of Knapford station, the western terminus of the North Western Railway's mainline.

**THOMAS & FRIENDS: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES**

**Based upon the original stories by The Rev. W. Awdry**

James slowed down to a stop just in front of the coal hopper in front of Thomas and Edward. The two blue engines were surprised to see him out and about so soon following his accident in the field from a few days ago.

"James?" asked Thomas with amazement. "Is that really you?" Edward also looked on, impressed. No longer was James in his old black livery with red stripes. He was now painted red with black lining on his cab, tender and splashers, with gold lining on his boiler and firebox. His yellow number five stood out proudly on his tender.

"Of course it is!" said James before chuckling. "How do you like my new paintwork?"

"Wow, James! You look splendid!" said Thomas. James beamed with pride.

"I know. I'm ready for my coaches!"

"We're _Thomas'_ coaches now, James," said Annie as the little blue engine in question backed down onto her and Clarabel.

"That's right!" Clarabel chimed in as Thomas blew his whistle. "And he's got his very own branch line too!"

James was surprised and disappointed as Thomas pulled away with Annie and Clarabel.

"Off to see the world now, Thomas?" asked Edward.

"Yes, Edward!" said Thomas with a slight giggle. "I am!" Edward blew his whistle as he watched Thomas puff away to his new branch line for the very first time.

"What does that leave me?" asked James to no one in particular. "An engine from the other railway?" Strangely, despite having just returned from the Sodor Steamworks, James felt rather lonely. But not for long. Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway, came up to speak with James.

"Ah, good day, sir," said James, slightly surprised to see his controller.

"Good morning, James," said Sir Topham Hatt. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing alright, sir," he replied. "You?"

"I just got this brand new top hat," said Sir Topham, glancing up proudly at it. "It was a gift from my wife, you see."

"Looks great on you, sir," smiled James.

"Thank you, James," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "As does your red paint; I hope this will cheer you up following your accident."

"Oh, it really has, sir," said James. "Much better than plain black any day."

"That's good to hear, James," Sir Topham Hatt nodded. "Now, I have a job for you to do." Edward rolled up alongside the red engine's left; James looked over at Edward with a raised eyebrow.

"You're a special mixed traffic engine, James," Sir Topham Hatt explained, "but you must learn by your mistakes. That is why you are to double head a train with Edward here. I, uh, heard something about braking too quickly from a pair of coaches who now belong to a tank engine."

"But sir," said James, "aren't I able to handle trains by myself? No offense to you, of course, Edward."

"You will," Sir Topham assured. "You just need a bit more... practice. Especially with your new metal brakes."

"Yes, sir," sighed James; he knew his controller had a point, but it didn't make him any less unhappy with the arrangement.

Begrudgingly, James buffered up to Edward and the engines were coupled up. Without Thomas around, the two engines had to shunt the coaches to the platform themselves, much to James' annoyance.

"Be careful with those coaches, James," Edward said kindly. "The passengers won't like it if you bump them. Trucks, however, need to bumped in order to behave."

"I know that, Edward," said James, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't built yesterday, you know."

"But you have just come back from the works," Edward reminded him.

"That's two different things entirely," James grunted. "I wish a little tank engine would drop in from nowhere to help us..."

"Quite right, little James," said Gordon. He was on platform one, ready to depart with the express. "With Thomas gallivanting off on his little branch line, we have to shunt our own coaches ourselves. It's undignified; tender engines don't shunt!"

"But I'm a tender engine, and I don't have any problem with shunting," said Edward indignantly.

"You're much smaller than most tender engines," grunted Gordon. "That's probably why."

Before the smaller blue tender engine could retort, Gordon blew his whistle and departed. Whilst he and Edward waited to leave with a fast stopping service, people had come to admire James' new paint.

"Ooh, what smart red paint this engine has," said a woman.

"It matches your dress, my dear," agreed her husband. Hearing this from the couple made James feel conceited.

"I really am a splendid engine," he said to himself. Nearby, Sir Topham was admiring his brand new top hat.

"Ah, look at you," he said lovingly to it. "Nothing could possibly spoil you now." But he'd spoken too soon, because suddenly, James let off some steam, causing a shower of water to land on Sir Topham's nice new top hat. He was so startled he nearly dropped it.

"Uh oh..." James said under his breath. He glanced back, hoping to hear the guard's whistle. Fortunately for him, the whistle had sounded, and James started off in a hurry before Sir Topham Hatt could call him out for ruining his new hat. Edward was taken aback by this sudden start.

"Goodness James, slow down!" cried Edward. "We're not late." But James didn't hear him, nor did he hear the passengers' complaints about the sudden start.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Edward to no one in particular.

* * *

Edward and James were soon approaching their first stop, Wellsworth. Edward wanted to stop, but James was still going too fast.

"James, hold up!" cried Edward. "This is where we're supposed to stop!"

Quickly, James applied his brakes and came to a stop.

"Ha!" he said triumphantly. "That's one in the headlamp for my old wooden brakes. They could never get me to stop _this_ quickly!"

Just then, one of the passengers stuck his head out of the window.

"What's the problem there?" he demanded angrily. "I can't get onto the platform!"

"Oh..." James look embarrassed and started to back up. The first two coaches were beyond the platform, but by the time they had backed down again, the passengers were no longer singing praises for James. The red engine groaned; this was not the fresh start he was hoping for.

* * *

James and Edward soon reached Vicarstown station without further problems.

"Not a good start to the day whatsoever..." muttered James.

"Well, you did get better along the way," said Edward.

"I guess," sighed James.

"We'll be seeing Thomas on the way back," said Edward. "Maybe that will cheer you up a bit."

"Right," said James. When the guard's whistle blew, they were off again.

* * *

The two engines were making good time, and they soon reached Elsbridge station.

"Hello, Edward. Hi, James!" greeted Thomas, coming in for a smooth stop.

"Hello, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel," smiled Edward. "How's the new branch line going?"

"Busy, but I love every moment," Thomas grinned. "These two ladies have been a massive help on all my passenger runs." Both Annie and Clarabel were flattered by the compliment.

"Oh, Thomas, you're such a natural at running a branch line," Annie smiled.

"It's like you were built for this job," added Clarabel.

"Oh, there was so much to see there," Thomas continued excitedly. "There was a windmill, a watermill, a viaduct... Oh! And at Ffarquhar, I saw one of the coffee pots on an old siding!"

"Really?" asked Edward. "I wonder if there's some kind of job he could do around here."

"What could he do?" asked James. "The workload's been getting much heavier since we all started coming here."

"Don't lose hope, James," said Edward. "The Coffee Pots are younger than me, and I'm still being used."

Just then, they heard the sound of a guard's whistle.

"Oh, there's my guard's whistle. Got to keep time, you know," grinned Thomas. "Come along, Annie and Clarabel."

"We're coming along, Thomas," the coaches sang. "We're coming along."

"I've never seen Annie and Clarabel look so happy," said Edward, "and Thomas is prouder than ever."

"He's like a kid at Christmas," agreed James. Soon, the guard's whistle went for Edward and James and they were off too.

* * *

Later that night, at Tidmouth sheds, Thomas was chatting non-stop about his first day on his new branch line. Gordon was not impressed and tried to get some sleep.

"...and then there was this sweet little sheep dog that was trying to get a bite out of my driver's sandwich," Thomas went on. "I think she belongs to the local farmer near a field between Hackenbeck and Ffarquhar..."

"That dog sounds a bit cheeky," chuckled Edward, the only one who was listening intently to Thomas. "Like a certain tank engine I know." Thomas chuckled bashfully and looked away, blushing.

"But you can tell us more tomorrow, Thomas," Edward told him gently. "Every engine needs sleep." But before the engines could get to sleep...

"JAMES!"

The red engine gulped when he heard that voice. There stood Sir Topham Hatt, but instead of his trademark top hat, he was wearing an ill-fitting bowler hat to replace it. Thomas snickered at the sight, but a stern look from Edward made him stop.

"What was all that about this morning?!" he demanded. "Wheeshing steam all over my nice new top hat, and overrunning the platforms?!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," said James nervously. "I-I must've been a little overexcited to do work again."

"Well, if you can't behave, I shall take away your red coat and have you painted blue!" Sir Topham Hatt snapped. James' eyes went wide at the threat of being painted blue. He wasn't as big as Gordon, he wasn't as small as Thomas, and he wasn't as old as Edward; to James, being painted blue would mean that he would just disappear into the background.

"I hope there will be no more incidents!" Sir Topham grunted. "Good night!"

He hurried away, slamming the doors. The engines went uneasily to sleep, except for Henry, who would be taking the mail train later tonight, and James.

"James?" whispered Henry, who was being checked over by his crew. "Why aren't you asleep?" But James didn't hear Henry; he was paralyzed with fright at the prospect of being painted blue. Eventually, long after Henry had left, James had begun to have a nightmare...

* * *

_James puffed through the Sudrian countryside, but it didn't feel much like the Sodor he knew. The landscape was barren, the trees were dying, and there wasn't a soul to be found._

_"H-hello..." he said quietly. "Anybody there?"_

_James soon came to Knapford station. Debris was everywhere, trucks and coaches were derailed, and he was the only engine around. Or so he thought..._

_"Who's there?" gasped James, swearing he could hear other wheels moving. Then he heard a familiar whistle, giving him some relief._

_"Henry? Is that you?" James asked hopefully. He came out without a word, but something was off..._

_"You're __**blue?!**__" gasped James. Even more unsettling was that Henry had a blank expression on his face. Suddenly, Thomas, Edward and Gordon rolled up alongside with equally blank expressions._

_"Uh, guys..." asked James quietly. "Is this some kind of game, because I don't like it..." Suddenly, the four blue engines closed their eyes and groaned, and James could see that their faces were turning blue! Now he was beginning to feel freaked out, especially when they opened their eyes again, except they were now yellow with thin black pupils, almost like a cat!_

_"__**Bluuuueee...**__" Thomas, Edward, Henry and Gordon all moaned together._

_"Yikes!" gasped James, trying to get away. Thomas tried to jump at him, but James was too quick for him._

_Frantically, James made it to Tidmouth sheds. He sighed with relief as he was spun around, and then backed into the middle berth. His driver and fireman quickly shut the doors of all seven berths._

_"Thank goodness," sighed James. "They'll never catch me now!" But he was wrong; he heard banging against the doors and to his horror, Henry and Gordon had burst right through the doors of the third and fifth berths!_

_"Aaaaahhh!" screamed James. Thomas and Edward had broken through the shed doors, as did Annie, Clarabel and some trucks, also painted blue with yellow eyes! James didn't have time to question how the coaches and trucks could move by themselves, because standing right in front of him was Sir Topham Hatt! Along with his top hat, he had a red jacket and pants and a back vest, and in his hands were a brush and a bucket of blue paint._

_"Ah, help!" cried James, reversing and trying to bust open the door. But it was no use; he was trapped, surrounded by his friends, some coaches and some trucks, all moaning "blue" over and over again._

_"You must get blue paint like everyone else," said Sir Topham Hatt. He then delved into evil laughter as he dipped the brush into the bucket and began to paint James blue._

_"No! No! No, please, no!" screamed James, now sobbing with fear. His face was now slowly turning blue like the other engines. "__**Please, no! I DON'T WANT TO BE BLUE! NOOOOOOOOOO!**__"_

* * *

James awoke, panting with fright. Edward, Gordon, Thomas and Henry all woke up and glanced over with worry. To James' (slight) relief, Henry was green, the engines' faces were gray and their eyes were white with black pupils, and there was no sign of Annie, Clarabel or the trucks.

"James," asked Henry with concern, "what happened?"

"Bad dream," groaned James. "I don't want to talk about it..." He tried to go back to sleep again, but with now intense his nightmare had been, it didn't seem likely.

"We all have bad dreams, James," said Edward gently. "If it does happen again, just remember we're all here for you."

"Thanks," sighed James. The other engines slowly drifted back to sleep, though even cheeky little Thomas and boastful Gordon were worried for James.

* * *

"Come on, James! It's time to fetch our coaches!"

"Oh, uh, yes driver, of course," sighed James; he tried to suppress a yawn, but didn't succeed. Last night's bad dream had left the red engine feeling tired and grumpy.

"James, you love passengers," said his driver. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, driver," James insisted.

"Okay, if you're sure..."

* * *

James was still feeling groggy when he arrived at the sidings.

"Gordon shouldn't have to fetch his own coaches," he grumbled to himself, "and _he's_ painted blue."

"What's gotten into him?" asked a coach named Dexter to his friends.

"How should we know?" said Sean, a coach with glasses.

"He does seem a bit troubled," said Harry; he had a goatee beard.

"I hope he is alright for the journey," said Mick; he had eyelashes. "I'd hate for him to get into trouble again, y'know- Oof!"

"Watch our buffers!" cried Sean.

"This is going to be some ride..." muttered Harry.

"Don't talk, come on!" snapped James, pulling the four coaches out of the siding.

"I don't like the looks of this, boys..." whispered Dexter.

James shunted the coaches onto platform three, and to make him even crosser, this time, no one came near him.

"You have to be kidding me!" grunted James. "As if things weren't bad enough..." When the guard's whistle blew, James set off.

"I'll show them," James muttered. "They think Gordon is the only one who can pull coaches on the mainline. I'm just as good as he and Edward, and certainly more than Henry!" He soon began to speed up, but the coaches weren't happy.

"I say, that's much too fast for us!" cried Sean.

"Me buffers are getting tenderized!" exclaimed Mick.

"We'll get damaged at this rate," cried Harry. Suddenly, before anyone realized it, the train began to slow down.

"We're stopping!" cried Dexter in surprise. He was also wincing with pain; something didn't feel right.

"Ohhh, what now?!" groaned James.

"Dexter, are you alright?!" cried Sean in concern.

"It's not one of your axles, is it?" asked Mick.

"No, me axles are fine," said Dexter, "but me brakes must've been jammed." Dexter's guard jumped down to see what the problem was.

"The brakes are hard on," he confirmed. "Must be a leak in the pipes. We'll need some newspaper and leather to patch it up." James was shocked about the idea.

"I'll be the laughing stock of the railway..."

Soon, all the passengers were outside of the coaches whilst the guard stood in front of them on a crate.

"I've got a newspaper I've read this morning," said the guard, "but do any of you have a leather bootlace?"

None of the passengers spoke up, but then the guard took a look at one passenger in particular; he wore a gray suit and hat, had glasses, thick eyebrows, long sideburns and an impressive mustache.

"Ah, Mr. Jobling," the guard said to the passenger. "May I have a look at your boots, please?"

"There's nothing interesting about them," he said, trying to sound professional. Jeremiah Jobling tripped over a nearby rock, and the guard saw the bootlaces were leather.

"Ah, I see you have leather bootlaces," said the guard. "May we borrow them?"

"What?! Me?! Give you my bootlaces because your engine was reckless with the coaches?" snapped Jeremiah Jobling. "Certainly not, my good man!" James blew a raspberry at the insult the grumpy passenger had given him.

"If you won't give us your bootlaces, then this train will have to stay where it is," the guard told him firmly. The passengers were cross with Jeremiah Jobling's stubbornness and began to call him out for it.

"Ugh... er... alright, alright!" Jeremiah Jobling threw his hands in surrender and gave his bootlaces to the guard. "But I expect you give them back to me when you're done using them!"

"Whatever you say," said the guard, satisfied. He got to work patching up the brake line. Once it was fixed, James could finally get moving.

"I hope you're happy with yourself..." grunted Mick.

"Keep this up, and Dexter here won't have any wheels to run on," added Sean.

"You could have damaged his career!" added Harry protectively. But James wasn't listening to them; he was now worried as to what Sir Topham Hatt would say about this incident.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

Well, here it is, folks; my personal attempt at a sequel to _The Adventure Begins_, since it looks unlikely that Mattel will make one any time soon. Like said special, I'm taking my own creative liberties with the story, using _James the Red Engine_ and _Troublesome Engines_ as the basis. The first chapter you've just read is based upon James and the Coaches with the introduction lifted directly from the ending of The Adventure Begins to serve as a transition from one arc to another.

In addition, I've fleshed out elements to add more meat to the story, like the Grumpy Passenger seen in episodes like _Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger_ being renamed to Jeremiah Jobling, providing some backstory as to why he holds a grudge against railways despite using them to get from A to B.

Not only that, I've decided to include Dexter the brake coach from season 22's _School of Duck_ to provide some backstory before he ended up on the siding. I've also created three brothers for him (a fourth will come later) that were practically caricatures of the Beatles, which seemed reasonable as Ringo Starr came from the same band. Sean, Mick and Harry are each based upon John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison respectively, and I can just hear them speaking in Liverpudlian accents to complete the package.

And lastly, there's the fantasy sequence; this will be the only one of its kind in the special, and for future stories, I'll only use them if they make sense for the story rather than as a distraction. In this instance, the purpose was to emphasize James' paranoia about being painted blue, and I even threw in a homage to Michael Jackson's famous "Thriller" music video.

Oh, and one final thing; both this special and _Three Little Engines Gruff_ were co-written with my friend Rachel (also known as TobyandMavisforever) on DeviantArt. For the next chapter, be sure to be _On Your Guard_ when it comes out tomorrow!


	2. On Your Guard

Later, down at Knapford when the passenger run was done, Edward was waiting with a goods train.

"Bust my buffers," he gasped. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," grunted James as he shunted Sean, Mick and Harry into the coach siding, and Dexter onto the "bad order" siding.

"It's hardly 'nothing' as that red monster puts it," grumbled Sean. "That big green bloke who stopped in the tunnel, the blue tank engine who left us behind, and now our engine's gone and crippled poor Dexter here!"

"You engines always give us trouble when we go out, y'know," added Mick.

Edward looked shocked. "Dexter?!" he cried. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," the red brake coach admitted. "But it'll be repaired in no time and I'll be as right as rain."

Edward gave a relieved sigh and looked over at James. "If you did anything worse to the coaches..." he was about to say, but, he bit his lip and couldn't finish it. James knew what the blue engine wanted to say.

"I won't do anything like this again," James said quietly. "I promise."

Just then, Sir Topham Hatt walked over, and he was not happy. The guards' whistle also indicated it was time for Edward to go.

"James, I heard from one of the passengers you broke the brake line in the train," he glared. James knew he couldn't try to weasel his way out of this.

"Y-yes sir," he said worriedly. "I-I'm very sorry, sir."

"I should think so too," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I don't know what kind of damage you've done to poor Dexter over here. But you must be punished for this. Go to the shed until I come back to check on you!"

Sadly, James left to go to Tidmouth sheds. Sean, Mick and Harry smirked with satisfaction, but Dexter, from his siding, felt sorry for James.

"Poor James..." he said quietly. He wanted to go over to talk to him, but coaches moving on their own was out of the question.

* * *

With James punished in the sheds, that meant that Edward, Gordon and Henry had to do his work as well as their own. Edward didn't mind much, but the bigger engines did; Gordon was cross with having to handle goods trains alongside his regular express duties, and Henry was anxious about handling more than what he was normally capable of doing due to his small firebox.

"I hope I can manage..." he said to himself, getting ready to take his passenger train. Unfortunately for him, his train consisted of Sean, Mick and Harry, as well as a replacement brake coach by the name of Randolph. Unlike Dexter, Randolph had a thick handlebar mustache that pointed downwards.

"So, what happened to Dexter?" asked Randolph.

"Busted his brake pipe," explained Harry. "I swear, everything seems to go wrong for him."

"I hope he's better soon," said Mick.

"Same here," said Sean. "But I hope that big green engine here can at least get us to our destination without stopping in a tunnel."

"Buffers crossed," said Harry under his breath. "I'm not holding my breath." Henry didn't hear the coaches' conversation as he backed down onto them.

"We'll go nice and easy, ol' boy," said Henry's driver.

"Alright..." sighed Henry as he started moving.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel were enjoying the country air of their new branch line.

"Oh, it's so beautiful out here," Thomas was saying, watching some butterflies flying around some flowers as he puffed on by.

"The spring scenery is quite a sight," smiled Annie. "You know, I heard stories that some lambs or calves are born round this time of year."

"We may see some as we go by," added Clarabel.

"That would make for an adorable sight," said Thomas as they pulled into Elsbridge station.

"Right on time, ol' boy," smiled Thomas' driver. "You're settling into your branch line routine very well."

"Thanks, driver," said Thomas. "Now, we have to wait for James' train."

"Uh, actually, I just got a message from Sir Topham Hatt," said the stationmaster. "Henry will be taking his stopping train today."

"Henry?" asked Thomas in surprise. "What's happened to James?"

"Something about a coach's brake line being damaged," the stationmaster explained.

"It wasn't Dexter, was it?!" gasped Clarabel.

"Unfortunately, it was," sighed the stationmaster.

"Oh, so many things happen to that poor coach," sighed Annie. "He's a real sweetheart..."

"It's not the first time he's landed himself in trouble, has he?" asked Thomas.

"Once he got a flat wheel," said Clarabel, "another time, a door fell off, and I also remember a time where his coupling was loose."

"Oh dear..." sighed Thomas. "I hope his brake line is fixed soon." He and his coaches had talked about Dexter for so long that it hadn't occurred to them until now that Henry was running late.

"Where's that Henry?" muttered Thomas. "Doesn't he realize that Sir Topham Hatt depends on me to run on time?"

"Thomas, do you know about Henry's condition?" asked Annie.

"Condition?"

"He's a shy steamer," Clarabel explained. "He has a small firebox too, and he often feels poorly."

"Goodness me..." gasped Thomas. "That's awful. I hope one day that can be cured."

Just at that moment, Henry came in slowly, coughing and wheezing. Thomas felt even more sorry than ever for the big green engine, especially with his coaches and passengers berating him for running late.

"What took you so long, lazybones?" asked Randolph.

"Ohh, dear," moaned Henry. "My system is out of order. You don't know what I suffer..."

"Rubbish!" said Jeremiah Jobling, pointing his newspaper at the big green engine. "You're just slow; you need exercise."

"Hey!" snapped Thomas. "You leave him alone! Henry can't help his state!"

"Thank you, Thomas," said Henry gratefully.

"That's alright, Henry," said Thomas. "Take it as easy as you need to."

"Indeed- Bless my stars, Thomas!" gasped Annie. "We need to make up for lost time."

No sooner had they heard the guard's whistle, Thomas quickly set off.

"Wait, Thomas!" cried Henry. "You've left your guard behind!" Whilst he was trying to get aboard Clarabel, Thomas' guard had tripped over a lady's umbrella and by the time he had picked himself up again, the train was away from the platform.

"Annie!" cried Clarabel. "I've lost my nice guard, I don't know what to do!"

"Oh no!" cried Annie, realizing what had happened. "Thomas, stop! We've left our guard behind!" But Thomas was too focused on making up for lost time rather than the conversation, and didn't quite hear Annie.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he panted.

"Try applying the brakes, Clarabel," said Annie.

"I can't without the guard!" cried Clarabel.

"Oh dear..." sighed Annie. "The only thing that can stop us now is a red signal." Annie wasn't wrong; it wasn't long before Thomas found himself being stopped by a red signal.

"Oh, bother," groaned Thomas. "We were making up lost time too! What's the matter?"

"Good question, ol' boy," said the driver. "The guard will soon tell us."

"But we haven't a guard!" cried Clarabel, almost on the verge of tears. "We've gone and left him behind!"

"We what?!" cried Thomas in shock. "Oh, cinders and ashes..."

Just then, everyone looked back to see the guard running up to them, with his flags in one hand and his whistle in the other.

"There you... all are..." the guard panted, managing to sit down on the grass near Clarabel.

"Need some water?" asked the driver, handing a glass over to him.

"I think so, thanks..." The guard gratefully took it and drank it down.

"I'm very sorry I left you behind, Mr. Guard," said Thomas.

"Never mind, Thomas," said the guard. "It was that old lady's umbrella's fault."

"I guess so," Thomas said quietly.

"Look!" cried the guard, rushing over to Clarabel. "The signal is down. We can go; let's make up for lost time."

With a cheerful blast of his whistle, Thomas set off once more down his branch line.

* * *

Back on the mainline, Henry had just made it to Crovan's Gate station.

"There..." he panted. "Not too bad, all things considered."

"You sure about that?!" cried Randolph. "Thomas left the guard behind because you were late!"

"Probably not as bad as leaving you lot behind," retorted Henry.

"What about when you stopped in a tunnel?" This came from Mick.

"That was one! Time!" grumbled Henry. "Or would you rather no one ever take you lot out ever again?!"

The four coaches were silenced by Henry's outburst.

"Are you alright, Henry?" came a voice. Henry glanced down to see Skarloey, the oldest engine on the island and one of the only two engines on the Skarloey line.

"I wish I was," sighed Henry. "I suffer greatly, but no one gives me any sympathy."

"Henry, just take it easy and do your best," soothed Skarloey. "If the work is straining on you, you can't help it. As long as you get to the station, the passengers will understand."

"I'll try, Skarloey, thank you," said Henry. "You say hello to Rheneas for me, okay?"

"I will," smiled Skarloey. Soon, Henry was off again. At least a few of the engines were kind.

* * *

Several days went by, but Henry's overall performance was greatly affecting the railway's image despite his best efforts. At Tidmouth sheds, Sir Topham Hatt was speaking to the green engine's crew about the situation.

"What is going on with him?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"Since James was put in the sheds, sir," said Henry's driver, "Henry's had to do some of his jobs on top of his own, and Henry hasn't been able to cope."

"I don't think his time in the tunnel did him much favors at all," muttered the fireman.

"I see..." said Sir Topham Hatt, more to himself than anyone else. He first looked at Henry, and then he turned to James, looking very sorry for himself.

"Well, I think James is ready to come back out again," Sir Topham said quietly. He walked away to hear James talking to himself.

"Oh dear, I shall have to stay in the shed for always and no one will see my red coat again," he sighed. "All because I went so fast I made a hole in Dexter's brake line that had to be mended with, of all things, a passenger's bootlace..."

"I see that you are sorry, James," said Sir Topham Hatt, "and I hope that you'll be more responsible if I let you out of the sheds again. Because of Henry's performance as well as your bootlace incident, people have started to laugh at my railway, and I don't like that at all."

"I'm very sorry, sir," said James, "I will try hard to behave, and I won't hurt the coaches again."

"I'm pleased to hear that, James," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "However, I'd like you to take some trucks to Vicarstown."

"Tr-tr-trucks?!" cried James. It wasn't the prospect of pulling trucks that horrified James; what _really_ frightened him was having a repeat accident from a few weeks ago.

"James, are you okay?" This came from Edward, who was coming in for a rest before heading out again.

"Erm, yes, I am," said James. "I'll do it, sir."

"That's a good engine," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Off you go then." Nervously, James set off for the goods yard at Knapford.

* * *

"Hey look," said a brake van. "There's that red monster that messed up Dexter before he was put in the shed."

"I see him," said an old ballast truck with some missing teeth. "Hmm, I remember a group of trucks pushed James off the rails... He may not want to tackle goods after that."

James came into the yards and started to arrange his train, including the brake van and the truck that were just talking to each other.

"Good to see you out and about again, James," said a truck in a taunting manner. "Got some bootlaces ready?"

"Oh, just shut up!" James muttered, and bumped said truck into the others. The trucks groaned upon feeling that.

"They had better behave," James said to himself. "Otherwise, they will get it." It wasn't long before he had had his train arranged and was ready to set off.

"Don't let them get you, ol' boy," said his driver.

"I'll try my best, driver," said James as he started to pick up the pace on the mainline.

"Hmm..." said the ballast truck as they went faster to the brake van. "Why don't we try and slip our brakes on?"

"No," said the brake van. "We should make our axles run hot! It's worked on every train I've been a part of thus far!" And like that, some smoke started coming from the brake van.

"Driver, can you smell something?" asked James.

"Well, it's certainly not your brakes," said the driver. "Must be from one of the trucks."

"Oh, what?!" cried James, feeling his brakes being put on. "Ugh, a delay?"

"Don't worry," said the fireman. "We'll put that issue right in no time at all."

"Thanks, fireman," said James gratefully.

"I only hope this is the one incident," sighed the fireman as he and the driver set things right.

_That's what they think,_ the brake van thought in his mind.

"Alright, James, let's go again," said his driver, once he and fireman jumped back into his cab. James set off once more, but the trucks were determined not to back down to easily.

"Let's hold back, guys," called the ballast truck. "That should slow him down."

"Give up, give up!" the trucks called to James. "You can't pull us, you can't, you can't!"

"I can and I will!" James called back as they started charging up Gordon's hill. "I can and I will!" By now, the brake van and the ballast truck were glaring at each other from a distance; neither wanted to be bested by the other, and both wanted to make themselves leaders of the troublesome trucks.

"I'm telling you, I should be the leader," said the ballast truck. "Look how much James is struggling right now."

"But he hasn't _stopped_," said the brake van. "I got him to stop in the middle of the journey."

"And yet James still got moving smoothly again," argued the ballast truck.

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" called James as he puffed harder and faster. "Oh, will the top never come?" Suddenly, everything seemed much easier!

"I've done it!" cried James in triumph. "It's easy now." But then his driver looked back and began to shut off steam.

"They've done it again," he groaned. "Our tail's gone and broken away!"

"Oh, for the love of..." grunted James. "_That's_ why it was easy!"

The last few trucks rolled down the hill, and the guard quickly braked it to a stop before going out to use his red flag to warn any potential engines coming their way.

"I say!" said Edward, who was taking a passenger run. "What's happened here?"

"Blasted guard of mine ruined our fun," the brake van grumbled.

"That was hardly fun if you ask me!" the ballast truck snapped. "We could've smashed into another engine!"

"What silly things trucks can be..." said James to himself as he backed the other trucks carefully down and was re-coupled. "There may have been an accident. Edward, are you alright?"

"We all are," said Edward. "Should I help you with the trucks?"

"No thank you, Edward," said James. "I can handle them myself. Besides, you have your passengers to look after."

"Good," said Edward. "Don't let them beat you."

"I'll get it this time," James called back with determination.

"You're doing well," Edward whistled from below as James started to climb the hill once more. This time, the trucks didn't give James any trouble; the red engine had a new flame of willpower that the trucks didn't want to mess around with as he puffed and panted harder and harder.

"I've done it, I've done it!" James cried happily as he started to coast down the other side.

"Well done, old boy!" laughed his driver. "How are you feeling now that you've put the trucks in their place?"

"Pretty good, actually," James admitted. "We should have a smooth journey the rest of the way." And a smooth journey was what James and his crew got all the way to Vicarstown.

* * *

"I'm glad we got that run done," smiled James. Then he heard a whistle.

"Good day, James," said Edward, coming up alongside. Behind him were Sean, Mick, Harry and Randolph, the same coaches who had seen part of James' train break away. And in one of them was Sir Topham Hatt.

"Oh dear," said James worriedly. "What will he say about the breakaway on Gordon's hill?" But Sir Topham Hatt walked onto the platform smiling.

"I was in Edward's train and I saw everything. You've made the most troublesome trucks on the line behave."

"Oh, thank you, sir," said James, feeling relieved.

"You deserve to keep your red coat after this performance, James," Sir Topham continued with a smile.

"Well done, James," grinned Edward. The coaches looked over at James, very impressed.

"Maybe James isn't so bad after all," said Mick.

"Indeed," agreed Sean. "He did manage those trucks very well."

"I wouldn't mind if he takes us out again," Harry smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, the brake van and the ballast truck glared at each other once more.

"So, looks like neither of our ideas worked!" grunted the truck.

"Mine would've if it wasn't for my guard," retorted the brake van.

"You were trying to bash into another engine just to get revenge, weren't you, Old Spiteful?" the truck snapped back.

"Watch your tongue!" snapped the brake van. "I'll get even with the engines. You'll see. They'll all see..."

* * *

**Author's Comments**

And now, dear viewers, you've just read the adaptations of _Thomas and the Guard_ and _Troublesome Trucks_. One of the significant differences is that this time, Thomas is more empathetic with Henry's problems, with his rudeness being passed off to the red coaches and the passengers. Even though the big green engine has a minor role throughout the story, his sickness does have an impact, even explaining why James was let out of the shed again.

Plus, we got loads of foreshadowing in this chapter, like the Spiteful Brake Van - now given the name of Old Spiteful - and Scruffey the ballast truck, then unnamed. My take on them is that they are rivals for the trucks' control; Scruffey just wants to hold back trains and make them run late, whilst Old Spiteful doesn't care for who gets hurt when he's on trains, even his own kind. He's a loathsome, self-serving jerk who wants to see the railway crash and burn.

On top of the foreshadowing for _The Twin Engines_ and _Oliver the Western Engine_, we're also foreshadowing _Four Little Engines_ through Skarloey's small cameo. Justified given that he was already on Sodor when the original stories took place, so it's fair that it also be the case for the TV series.

Lastly, there's the fifth red coach I mentioned last time, Dexter's replacement Randolph. He's essentially the Pete Best (although he has a mustache akin to Ringo) of the red coaches. I imagine that they did _technically_ make appearances in the TV series, albeit faceless. They often work with Edward, Henry, James or Donald and Douglas on stopping services on the mainline.

So now James seems to be overcoming his anxiety with pulling trucks, but next time, there's a load of _Fishy Situations_ taking place!


	3. Fishy Situations

The next few weeks were fairly uneventful on Sodor, but it wasn't long before summer came and that meant an increase in traffic for both passengers and goods.

"There's so much to do..." sighed James.

"And that means going into dirty sidings just to fetch our coaches," grumbled Gordon.

"Oh, stop complaining," said Edward. "It gives us more of a chance to stretch our wheels."

"Easy for _you_ to say," grunted Gordon, as he moved off to get his coaches. "Why did Thomas get his branch line?"

"That was because he earned it," said Edward simply.

Gordon said nothing else as he turned around on the turntable. Both Tidmouth sheds and Vicarstown sheds had turntables so that Gordon, Henry, James and Edward could be turned around. Tank engines like Thomas don't need turntables, as they can go backwards just as well as forwards.

* * *

Soon, Gordon was out pulling the express. He stopped at Elsbridge so some of his passengers could travel down Thomas' branch line.

"Hello, Gordon," Thomas greeted. "Lovely day we're having."

"Not if you're out on the mainline," said Gordon.

"And what could possibly be going wrong on the mainline?" asked Clarabel.

"Why, shunting trucks, fetching coaches and going on dirty sidings!" Gordon retorted. "It doesn't matter where Thomas goes, but for us tender engines, it's not the proper thing."

"You're never happy, are you, Gordon?" Thomas retorted in a cheeky way. "Well, I have a little story that might make you interested. I saw some people fishing by the river on my way up here."

"Seems like every little thing you see on your branch line is of interest to you..." muttered Gordon.

"I want to fish like those people," said Thomas. "It could be fun." Upon hearing that, Gordon burst out laughing.

"Engines don't go fishing," he laughed. "You silly little engine."

"Engines _can_ fish if they try," Thomas retorted. "I bet you haven't."

"How are we even supposed to fish?" Gordon snorted as he departed. "We'd have to ask our crews to use the rods!"

"Are you sure fishing is a good idea, Thomas?" asked Annie.

"I'm sure I can figure it out," said Thomas confidently. "Just you two wait."

* * *

Later that day, Gordon pulled into Vicarstown station.

"Alright, Gordon, time to turn around," said his driver.

"But driver," said Gordon, "isn't it too small for me to use?"

"It's made _just_ big enough for you," the driver replied. "Come on."

"Ohhh... the indignity," Gordon grumbled.

The Vicarstown turntable was in a windy place close to the sea, and if Gordon was not on it just right, he put it out of balance and made it difficult to turn. Today, Gordon was in a bad temper.

"Gordon, please stop in the right place," groaned his driver, trying to brake. But every time he did, Gordon would stop too close to the edge of one side. The fireman tried to turn the handle, but the strong winds and Gordon's lack of cooperation prevented him from doing so.

"It's no good," grunted the fireman at last. "His big tender upsets the balance."

"If he was a nice tank engine, he'd be alright," agreed the driver. "Gordon, you're going to have to take the next train backwards."

"WHAT?!" Gordon was appalled with what he had just heard!

* * *

Meanwhile, Thomas had just arrived at Elsbridge again. His tanks were low on water, and when his driver went to put the hose in his tank, no water came rushing in.

"Bother!" cried Thomas. "I"m thirsty."

"Sorry, ol' boy," said the driver. "This tower is out of order. We'll have to get water from the next one."

"But we may not have enough to get to the next station," worried the fireman.

"Hmm..." The driver thought for a moment before giving a nod. "The river's not too far. We can throw a bucket down and get water from there."

"I guess we can give it a try," the fireman agreed, and they took Thomas to the river.

"Ooh, there are the people fishing again," Thomas grinned.

"Look, a fish just got away from that man over there," giggled Clarabel. But the driver and fireman were not focusing on what Clarabel had taken notice of; the bucket they had on hand was old and had five holes that had rusted through.

"We'll have to refill it several times over, quickly," said the driver, attaching a rope to it to send it down into the river.

"Indeed, look at all those holes," the fireman nodded as they started pulling the bucket up. "_There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza..._"

"Never you mind about Liza!" said the driver. "Pour it in Thomas' tank before you get it all over me!"

"Oops, sorry, Bob." The fireman quickly poured the water in. They repeated the process several times, and soon, Thomas' tanks were full with river water.

"That should be enough to get us to the next station," said Thomas' driver.

"Great!" smiled Thomas. "Okay, Annie and Clarabel, let's go!" Despite the funny taste of river water in his tanks, Thomas carried on with his train.

* * *

At Knapford, Edward was waiting to depart with his next train when laughter began to fill the station.

"Hello?" said Edward, glancing over. "I wonder what's up." He soon got his answer when a large blue tender with the number four on it began backing into the station.

"Gordon?" gasped Edward. "What happened to you?"

"Don't ask, Edward," Gordon grunted. "Just... don't ask." James burst out laughing when he came into the station.

"Did you get stuck?"

"If you're not careful, you'll get stuck too," Gordon said firmly.

"Don't worry about that," chuckled James. "I'm not so large as you."

"Honestly, you two..." muttered Edward, clearly not seeing the funny side of things. The guard's whistle blew and James was off.

"I won't stick to the turntable," said James to himself. When he got to his destination, James shunted his coaches and went onto the turntable.

"And... right in the middle. Perfect!"

James' driver then jumped down to spin his engine around. It was very windy, and before he realized it, his hat had blown right off of his head!

"My hat!" cried James' driver, chasing after it. However, in leaving his post, the turntable had begun to spin much faster, with James still on it!

"Argh, little help here!" called James, going round like a top. Unfortunately for James, just as the wind was dying down, Gordon had turned up, having seen everything.

"Well, little James," chuckled Gordon, "are you playing roundabouts?"

"You were playing... tank engines before..." James muttered, very dizzy. His driver had managed to catch his hat and seeing the dazed expression on his engine, drove James into the sheds without a word. As he reversed, James could swear he heard some laughter coming from the trucks at his predicament.

* * *

"I've got such a pain, I've got such a pain..." groaned Thomas. His trip had been going well, but he was slowing down, and he felt something in his boiler that shouldn't be there.

"Thomas!" Clarabel cried. "Oh, what's wrong?!"

"Calm down, Clarabel," said Annie. "Thomas, you go into the nearest siding and the guard will call for help."

The passengers looked on with concern as Thomas was uncoupled and slowly rolled onto a siding outside of Ffarquhar station. After he led the passengers onto the platform, the guard quickly telephoned for an engine inspector. Meanwhile, the fireman put out his fire, and the driver hung larges notices in front of and behind Thomas, as well as to the sides - "DANGER. KEEP AWAY."

"Please be okay, Thomas..." whispered Clarabel. Eventually, the inspector had arrived at Ffarquhar, and with him was Sir Topham Hatt.

"What exactly was happening, Thomas?" asked the inspector.

"I was taking my coaches for a run on my branch line, and then suddenly, I felt a serious pain," Thomas explained. "I never experienced anything like it before."

"I see," said the inspector. "Most likely the feed pipe is blocked. I'll just look in the tanks."

The inspector climbed up and looked in, nearly falling off the ladder in surprise.

"Excuse me, Sir Topham," he said. "Could you please look in the tank and tell me what you see?"

"Uh, of course, inspector." Sir Topham Hatt climbed up, and something jumped out at him from Thomas' tank.

"Inspector," he whispered, "can you see... fish?"

"How did they get there?!" cried Thomas.

"We must have fished them from the river when we were filling Thomas' tanks," the driver sighed. "The water tower at Elsbridge was out of order and I feared we wouldn't have enough water to the next stop."

Sir Topham Hatt was most amused by the situation. "So you and your crew have been fishing then, Thomas," he chuckled. "But fish don't suit you; we must get them out of your tanks."

The driver, fireman and inspector got some fishing rods so they could fish from Thomas' tanks. Sir Topham Hatt gave them instructions on what to do.

"Why did I think fishing was a good idea again?" Thomas asked himself.

"Now, Robert," Sir Topham Hatt was saying to Thomas' driver, "fishing takes a lot of patience."

"I understand, sir," Thomas' driver replied, lowering his line into the tank.

While the fishing was going on, a bus had come up to Ffarquhar. He saw Annie and Clarabel without an engine and the passengers waiting on the platform.

"Are you two okay?" asked the bus.

"We are, but Thomas isn't," said Annie.

"What happened?" asked the bus, concerned.

"He caught some fish in his boiler," Clarabel explained.

"Well, I... can't say I heard anything like that before," the bus said, very surprised. "How long do you think it will be before he's ready to go again?"

"Hopefully not long," sighed Annie.

"If it does take a while, maybe I could take the passengers to their homes," the bus suggested.

"Well, Thomas is going to be late for his goods run if we wait much longer..." said Clarabel.

"That would be a big help," said Annie. "Thank you."

"Just happy to be of service," smiled the bus. The passengers boarded the bus, and with a toot of his horn, he was off.

No sooner than the bus left, the last of the fish were caught.

"That's all of the fish, sir," said the fireman. "What shall we do with them?"

"Robert," said Sir Topham Hatt, "do you think you could ask the stationmaster for some potatoes?"

* * *

Later, the men had finished their lovely picnic supper of fish and chips.

"Mmm, that was good," said Sir Topham Hatt. "But fish don't suit you, Thomas. You must never do that again."

"No, sir, I won't," said Thomas sadly. "I'm very sorry about this."

"It's alright. So, what have you learned?"

"Engines don't go fishing," said Thomas. "It's too uncomfortable." He glanced over at the clock at Ffarquhar with a start. "Cinders and ashes. I have to get the last of my passengers home and do my last goods run!"

"You won't have to worry about your last passenger run for the day," assured Sir Topham Hatt.

"A kind bus took the passengers for you," Annie called from the platform.

"Well, I guess that does save us some time," said Thomas. "Did you get the bus' name?" he added, hoping to thank said bus later.

"Sadly not," said Clarabel. "But maybe we'll run into him again one day."

"I hope so." Thomas shunted his coaches into their shed and went to get his trucks.

* * *

That night, Gordon, Henry and James had an indignation meeting at Tidmouth sheds.

"It's absolutely shameful to treat tender engines like this," said Gordon. "Henry gets bricked up in a tunnel and then he struggles to keep up with the timetables."

"Gordon gets stuck on a hill and is made to go tender first like a tank engine," added James.

"And then James has to use a bootlace and spins around like a top," finished Henry.

"And on top of all that," said Gordon, "everyone laughs at us and Sir Topham Hatt makes us shunt in dirty sidings! It's disgraceful!"

"Disgusting!" said James.

"Despicable!" said Henry.

"Hmm... you know, we should hold onto that," James said thoughtfully.

"Yes, perhaps we should," agreed Gordon. "I like the sound of it."

"I concur," said Henry.

"Anyway," said Gordon, "tomorrow morning, we will go... on strike."

"On strike?" asked James. "What's that mean?"

"It means," said Gordon, "that we refuse to do any work until we are given the respect we deserve." James and Henry smiled slightly, and with that, the trio fell asleep.

* * *

**Author's Comments**

That was chapter three, quite shorter than the previous two chapters, in fact. Not much to say in regards to the adaptations of _Tenders and Turntables_ and _Thomas Goes Fishing_, other than they take place simultaneously. There's even more foreshadowing to _Duck and the Diesel Engine_, as well as Bertie having an unnamed cameo role and Edward being the one to witness Gordon going backwards instead of Thomas.

At this point, you'll notice we haven't met a certain #6 yet. Not to worry, because in the next (and penultimate) chapter, we'll meet _Percy the New Engine_!


	4. Percy the New Engine

Whilst Sodor was indeed a magical place where engines can get along for the most part, in an industry on the mainland, that was far from the case. A small green saddle tank engine with four black wheels and the number 50 was in charge of shunting the trains for the bigger engines who often came by to collect their goods and passengers.

"Hey, you!" came a maroon tank engine named Lawrence. "Where are my coaches?!"

"I'll be there with them as soon as I can," said No. 50.

"And don't forget my next mail train!" called a dark blue engine named Roxanne. "We can't afford unnecessary delays!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," sighed No. 50.

"I need my next goods!" called Nathan; he was colored black. "I'll be late if it's not sorted in the next ten minutes."

"Ohhh, fizzling fireboxes," groaned No. 50. "How am I going to handle it all at once?"

"And I need to take some box vans to market," said Rodney, a dark green engine.

"All of you, I am one engine, not four!" snapped No. 50. "I'll only do one at a time!"

"You will get our trains out, that's your job!" rebuked Roxanne.

"You don't even have a name," sneered Rodney. "It's only for important engines like us!"

"You wouldn't have any trains to pull if it wasn't for me," retorted No. 50. "My role's just as important as yours."

"Then why didn't the manager bother to name you?" Nathan asked rudely.

"I... I..." No. 50 stopped short. He was built a while ago now, and yet... he didn't get a name.

"He couldn't take a train if he tried," laughed Lawrence. "Now get a move on and fetch our trains for us!" No. 50 reluctantly did as he was told, and small tears dripped out of his eyes.

"I wish I had a friend..." he sobbed.

* * *

Back on Sodor, things were not going so well. Many passengers were buzzing around Sir Topham Hatt's office at Knapford like angry bees.

"What a nuisance passengers are," he grumbled. "Why can't I do my paperwork in peace?" Just then, the stationmaster came in, looking worried.

"There's trouble in the shed, sir," the stationmaster said. "Henry is sulking, there's no train and everyone's saying this is a bad railway."

"Is that so?" said Sir Topham Hatt. "We cannot allow that! You settle the passengers down, and I'll have a word with Henry." He put his hat on and left his office.

* * *

Down at Tidmouth sheds, Henry, Gordon and James stood waiting.

"What on earth?!" cried Sir Topham Hatt. "Why are you all here? Come on, Henry, it's time your train was ready."

"Henry's not going," said Gordon rudely.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"We won't be shunting like common tank engines," said James. "That was Thomas' job."

"We are important tender engines," added Henry. "You fetch our coaches and we will pull them."

"Tender engines don't shunt!" the trio finished.

"Is that so?" said Sir Topham Hatt with a raised eyebrow. "This is my railway, and my engines do as they are told!" With that, he got in his car and drove off to find Edward.

"The yard has never been the same since Thomas left to run his branch line..."

Henry and James now looked worried.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" asked Henry.

"We all agreed to it, didn't we?" said Gordon.

"Well... yes, but, Sir Topham Hatt is... kind of cross with us," James sighed. "And I only _just_ got back in his good graces."

"I think we're all going to end up in trouble..." said Henry to himself.

"Nonsense, we'll be fine," said Gordon. "We just got to wait. A new tank engine will come; you'll see."

* * *

At Wellsworth, Edward was shunting trucks about.

"And... that's the last of the tankers there," he smiled with satisfaction. "Now, where are those box vans..."

"Ah, Edward," said Sir Topham Hatt, walking up to him. "Am I glad to see you." He then explained what was going on at Tidmouth sheds.

"Oh, gracious me..." Edward gasped. "Those three are nothing but trouble. I expected better from Henry."

"As did I," sighed Sir Topham Hatt. "I need you to help out at Knapford to arrange their trains."

"Of course, sir," said Edward. "It would make a nice change from being here anyway."

"That's a good engine," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "I only hope that Gordon, James and Henry will see sense soon."

"So do I," Edward sighed, puffing off to Knapford.

* * *

When Edward arrived, he began to shunt the coaches into place.

"What's going on?" asked Harry. "Are we going with you today, Edward?"

"No, actually," said Edward. "I'm acting as station pilot for the day."

"Oh!" said Sean. "Well, in that case, we're very happy to have you shunting us."

"Thank you," said Edward. He arranged them at the platform for James. "Now for Gordon and Henry's trains."

While down at the sheds, Gordon was sure that Sir Topham Hatt had gone to get another tank engine. But instead, he saw a blue shape moving by with a number two, telling a different story.

"EDWARD?!" Gordon cried with indignation. "I can't believe this. How could he... go against what being a tender engine means?!"

"At least our trains are being organised," said James.

"We'd better get a move on," Henry agreed.

"It's better than having to get them ourselves, I suppose," Gordon muttered.

The big tender engines collected their trains one by one.

"Tender engines shunting," Gordon said to himself. "It's absurd."

"You're welcome..." Edward said sarcastically.

"I mustn't be late," said James, taking off without so much as a "thank you".

"Thank you, Edward," smiled Henry.

"Glad to be of service," said Edward, glad to know that someone was grateful. Although, he _was_ a bit curious. "Why did you go on strike with them?"

"Well..." Henry sighed. "It's not to do with you, Edward, honestly. It's... about the passengers and some of the coaches, and the trucks. They all belittle me because I'm not a reliable runner."

"Henry..." said Edward gently. "They don't know you for who you are. You do your best even if you're poorly. That's one of the things I admire about you. In fact... I was once a poor steamer, like you."

"You were?" asked Henry in surprise.

"When I came here and before you, Gordon and James did, a group of engines that were here before you three made fun of me for being a shy steamer," Edward explained. "I was alone in the sheds for a good few years. Then one day, Charlie and Sidney took me out again, and I was always used since."

"So how did you get cured of your shy steaming?" asked Henry.

"I was rebuilt at Crovan's Gate," Edward explained. "As for the other engines... well, some company from the mainland bought them."

"Well, I'd hate to run into them," sighed Henry. "Do you think I may get rebuilt one day?"

"Anything is possible, Henry," said Edward. "Just have a bit of faith."

"Thank you, Edward," smiled Henry. He felt much better as he departed the station.

* * *

But the next day, Edward was not happy after he arranged Gordon's train. Sir Topham Hatt had come to speak with him when Gordon clanked by, hissing rudely at Edward.

"Bless me!" cried Sir Topham Hatt. "What a noise!"

"They all hiss me, sir..." Edward explained sadly. "Well, not Henry, and James only seems to do it around Gordon, but Gordon does it mostly... Ahem, anyway... Gordon said that I have... gray wheels."

"Edward, you have nice blue wheels and I'm very proud of you," Sir Topham Hatt said kindly. "Tender engines _do_ shunt, but I know you will be happier on your branch line as Thomas is on his. We'll need another tank engine to serve as station pilot here."

"I'll keep the shunting going here until you find one," said Edward, going back to work.

* * *

Later, Sir Topham Hatt managed to contact the industry on the mainland and the manager rounded the engines up.

"Okay," he said. "Sir Topham Hatt is coming to take a look at you, so look your best."

"He's just saying that so the pipsqueaks don't feel bad," Lawrence sneered to No. 50.

"He'll never pick you!" laughed Roxanne.

"Maybe you should get out before you get humiliated!" jeered Nathan.

"You go and talk with the trucks!" Rodney mocked.

"W-well..." stammered No. 50. "Maybe he'll see you lot are snobs and look somewhere else!"

Before an argument could erupt, there stood Sir Topham Hatt.

"Good day, sir," said the manager. "You called me about looking for a tank engine."

"Yes, I did," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'll need an engine that can handle shunting in the yards."

"Shunting, you say?" asked Nathan. "My siblings all shunted down at Southhampton once upon a time. I'm very strong for my size too."

"I see..." said Sir Topham Hatt; he could sense something wasn't quite right with this tank engine. "And... what is your stance on shunting?"

"Well... it's important," he said, "and... needed for all the bigger engines to do their jobs."

"Do you do the shunting round here?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"Er... well... you know, on occasion," said Nathan. "But... I haven't lost my touch."

"Right..." Out of the corner of his eye, Sir Topham Hatt caught sight of No. 50 arranging some trucks that had previously been scattered around the yard.

"Since there's no chance of me being bought," said No. 50 to himself, "I may as well make myself useful."

"Do you always work this hard?" asked Sir Topham Hatt, walking toward No. 50. The little engine was surprised that someone was addressing him.

"Oh... um... I do my best, sir," the tank engine said shyly. "But... the other tank engines always belittle me, because I'm smaller than them."

"That's no way to treat an engine," said Sir Topham Hatt crossly. "An engine as hardworking as you needs respect and kindness, not spite. If I choose you, will you work hard?"

No. 50 was surprised; someone was actually willing to buy him? For the first time in what seemed like ages, there was a big smile on the little engine's face.

"Oh yes, sir, I will, sir!" he beamed.

"What is your name?" Sir Topham Hatt asked. No. 50 frowned again.

"I don't have one, sir," he admitted. "Just the number 50."

"Every engine has a name on my railway." said Sir Topham Hatt. "Let's pick out a nice one for you..." The controller thought long and hard, and a memory from when he was younger came back to him.

_Sir Topham Hatt, he was just called Bertram Topham Hatt back in the day, was crying next to a bed. His father, Percy Topham Hatt, was very sick._

_"Remember, my son," he coughed, "I will always love you."_

_"I'll miss you, father..." he said quietly._

_"As will I..."_

Sir Topham Hatt looked at the little tank engine and smiled slightly. "How about I call you... Percy."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" smiled Percy. "'Percy' has a nice ring to it. I like it a lot."

"WHAT?!" cried the other tank engines in outrage.

"You chose _him_ over _us?!_" came Roxanne. Rodney looked as if he wanted to throw himself off a bridge. However, Percy and Sir Topham didn't pay attention to their complaining.

"You'll need a new coat of paint and number in order to show that you're part of my railway," he said, climbing aboard his newest acquisition. "What color would you like?"

"I've always liked the color green," said Percy as he set off. "Could I please be that color?"

"Of course, Percy. You'll be painted in North Western green at our Steamworks."

* * *

The next day, Edward was once again shunting in the yards when he heard an unfamiliar whistle. He looked ahead and saw a saddle tank engine with four wheels painted in the same shade of green as Henry and had the number six on his bunker.

"Oh, hello," smiled Edward as Percy came up to him. "You must be the new engine Sir Topham Hatt said he was getting."

"Indeed he is, Edward. This here is Percy," said Sir Topham Hatt. He hopped down from Percy's cab.

"Pleasure to meet you, Percy," said Edward.

"Likewise, Edward," he smiled. "It's so nice to finally meet a kind engine."

"You've never met a kind engine before?" asked Edward in shock.

"Most of the engines on my old line were horrid to me," Percy explained.

"I'll be your friend, Percy," Edward said gently. "Come on, I'll show you what to do around here."

Edward started to show Percy the coach and trucks sidings, and they both arranged the next passenger trains.

"That track is empty over there," said Percy. "What's it for?"

"Oh, that's the 'bad order' track," Edward explained. "If there's a coach or truck that needs repairs, it goes there until an engine can take it to the Steamworks at Crovan's Gate."

"Were there any trucks or coaches that ended up there lately?" asked Percy.

"There is this one coach named Dexter," said Edward. "A gentle and caring coach, but, uh... there was an incident where his brake line broke."

"Do you think I'll ever get the chance to meet him?" asked Percy.

"I think he's due out of the works tomorrow," said Edward. "So you probably will meet him soon."

"That's great," smiled Percy as he arranged Gordon's coaches.

"Well done, Percy," Edward praised. "You're a fast learner. Just like my good friend Thomas."

"Who's this Thomas?" asked Percy. "Will I ever meet him as well?"

"He's on his branch line," said Edward. "However, he does need to drop off passengers at Knapford station during peak hour traffic."

"Oh, I see," smiled Percy. Just then, Gordon came up, hissing as usual.

"Another tank engine?" he said. "Hmm... time for a bit of fun." But before he could do anything...

_WHEESH!_

"Agh!" The express engine was so surprised he raced back to the shed.

"How beautifully you wheeshed him," laughed Edward. "I can't wheesh like that."

"Oh, that's nothing," giggled Percy. "You should hear those tank engines I left behind. They wheeshed so loudly you could hear them from the other end of the station."

"Really?" said a voice Percy never heard before. "That I had to have seen."

"Ah, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel," smiled Edward. "You're just in time. I'd like you to meet Percy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Percy," said Thomas. "It's so nice to finally have another tank engine to talk to."

"Pleasure is all mine, Thomas," said Percy. "And your coaches are named... Annie and Clarabel, I think Edward said."

"That we are, my dear," said Annie.

"Welcome to the railway, Percy," added Clarabel. "We hope you feel at home."

"Oh, what polite coaches you are," smiled Percy. Annie and Clarabel blushed at the compliment.

"They sure are," Thomas agreed. "That's why I chose them to be my coaches." The guard's whistle then blew.

"Oh, sorry, you two. We got to get a move on. I hope Sodor starts to feel like home for you, Percy."

"It already does feel like home," said Percy to himself.

* * *

A few days later, Thomas, Edward and Percy were all called together at Knapford yards.

"Thomas and Edward, I'll need you two to run the mainline, and Percy shall handle the branch line," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"But why, sir?" asked Thomas. "Edward and I can't handle the work by ourselves?"

"I'll make the schedule lighter for you," said Sir Topham Hatt. "As for the why... well, Henry, Gordon and James are sulking, so I've shut them up and want you to run the line for a while. They say they won't shunt like common tank engines."

"Common tank engines, indeed!" snorted Thomas. "Those big engines are just being silly."

"We'll show those three who's boss," Percy agreed. "Oh, and Thomas? I promise I'll look after Annie and Clarabel."

"Thank you," said Thomas. "Just be very gentle."

* * *

Later, on the branch line, Percy was taking Annie and Clarabel on his first passenger run.

"Everyone okay back there?" he called, maintaining a steady pace.

"Everything's going smoothly," said Annie.

"Is this your first passenger run ever?" asked Clarabel.

"Yes, it is," said Percy. "Mostly I did shunting on the mainland."

"You seem like you've been pulling passengers for a while," said Annie.

"You're a very smooth runner," agreed Clarabel. Percy blushed with pride as he came into Elsbridge.

"Right on time, Percy," beamed Thomas as he pulled in. "I'm impressed." He was taking Henry's stopping train on the mainline.

"Thanks, Thomas," said Percy quietly. "Your branch line is so beautiful. A sheepdog came to greet my driver and fireman when we stopped at one of the stations."

"Yes, she's a friendly dog, that sheepdog," said Thomas. "You know, if there ever comes a time where I'm busy or need to be repaired, you would be the first engine I ask to look after Annie and Clarabel."

"Really?!" asked Percy in surprise. "Oh, Thomas, this is an honor..." The little green tank engine was so happy he felt like he was going to cry.

Just then, the guard's whistle blew for both trains.

"Say hello to Edward for me," said Percy, still overwhelmed with happiness as he puffed away.

"I'll make sure of that," smiled Thomas.

* * *

Thomas often passed by Edward when they were taking trains from opposite ends of the mainline.

"Good day, Edward," called Thomas, whistling in turn. "Percy says hi."

"Hello, Thomas, and I'll tell Percy I got his message," smiled Edward. "How's he doing on the branch?"

"He's a natural," Thomas grinned as he went by. There were fewer services, but the passengers didn't mind; they knew that Thomas, Edward and Percy were doing their best, and also that the bigger engines were having a lesson.

* * *

"I wish we hadn't been so silly..." muttered James in the sheds.

"That plan was kind of foolish..." muttered Henry.

"That new tank engine wheeshed me!" grunted Gordon. "Maybe we should all be careful what we wish for..."

The big engines weren't allowed out of the shed for an entire week. I hope they've learned their lesson, don't you?

* * *

**Author's Comments**

So now we've finally met Percy, and he's left quite the impression upon arrival! Unlike the previous chapters that adapted two stories (the first was based on an episode which was based upon two stories, so that counts), _Trouble in the Shed_ was the only story adapted for this chapter, and it helped in fleshing out Percy's backstory.

Like Thomas and James, Percy must've had an alternate livery before ever coming to Sodor; that's why is livery is a different shade of green with black wheels, as well as the number 50, representing the year he was introduced in _Troublesome Engines_. Plus, the tank engines he used to work with are the same as those seen in one illustration of said book, with Lawrence being the same shape as Belle (only painted in maroon and minus the fire-fighting modifications), Roxanne as Ryan (only painted dark blue), Nathan as Rosie (only painted black) and Rodney as Hurricane (only painted dark green). And of course, all of them would have different faces if they were rendered in CGI. They were all bullies to Percy, but hopefully you can pick out enough from each of them to tell what their individual personalities are like.

There's also minor changes like Gordon being the engine that Percy wheeshed instead of Henry to fit with the reason why he went on strike. For a more sadder addition, Sir Topham's mother is named Dowager Hatt, with the term "dowager" referring to a woman who was married to a noble and is widowed, hence why Topham's father is shown to have been dying in a flashback. That's pretty sad for a Thomas special.

There's only one chapter left to this story, and I think you can guess what they'll be based upon, when we find out who will be our _Express Engines_ for the finale!


	5. Express Engines

A week had passed since the big engine's punishment, and Sir Topham Hatt arrived at the sheds.

"I hope you are sorry," he said, "and understand that you are not so above shunting after all. As you know, we have a new tank engine called Percy who helped to pull Annie and Clarabel, and Thomas and Edward ran the mainline nicely. I will let you out now if you promise to be good."

"Yes, sir, we will, sir," the three engines promised.

The trio left the sheds, and Sir Topham Hatt then went to meet up with Edward, Thomas and Percy.

"You three have made me very proud to call you my engines," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "For working so hard, how about you go and play on the branch line for a few days?"

"Oh, yes please, sir!" smiled Thomas. "I'm going to find Annie and Clarabel right now!"

"Wait for us, Thomas!" called Percy, racing after him.

"You young engines..." chuckled Edward, following at a more sensible pace.

* * *

When the trio got to the junction, Thomas was coupled up to Annie and Clarabel.

"I missed you two so much," said Thomas.

"It's only been a week, Thomas" chuckled Annie.

"I know, I know," he replied. "But still, it's good to have you back."

"Percy's done a wonderful job with us," smiled Clarabel.

"I'm very glad to hear," said Thomas. He glanced to the side to see Edward and Percy playing with some trucks. The trucks groaned as they were bumped around.

"Stop, stop, stop!" they screamed, but Edward and Percy didn't listen.

"It's good to be taking it easy for a few days," said Edward.

"It's like going on holiday," agreed Percy.

"Have fun with the trucks," said Thomas. "I'm going to take Annie and Clarabel on a run."

* * *

Meanwhile, things weren't so jolly with the mainline trio.

"Remember the time that a bootlace had to be used to get you out of trouble, James?" laughed Gordon.

"That was a couple of months ago," said James. "Besides, what about you getting stuck on a hill and Henry getting walled in a tunnel?"

"That was back when Thomas was new here," snapped Henry. "You have even less reason to talk."

"You talk too much, little James," said Gordon. "A fine strong engine like me has something to talk about. I'm the only engine who can pull the express. When I'm not there, they need two engines. Think of that. I've pulled expresses for years, and never once lost my way. I seem to know the right line by instinct."

"Every wise engine would know it's the _signalman_ who directs the engines where to go," Henry said quietly.

"Oh, goodness me," said Gordon, glancing at the clock. "It's nearly time for the express. And since Edward, Thomas and Percy are out playing on the branch line, it seems you're on odd jobs, James. You can start by getting my coaches. Don't be late."

"Not that I have much else to do," James muttered sarcastically. He went to the siding, and the coaches were gleaming with new paint.

"Wow..." he said to himself. "I've never taken a good look at these coaches before." He gently buffered up to the coaches and was coupled up.

"I wish I was going with them," said James. "I should love to pull the express and go flying along the line. I mean, if Edward could take the express whilst Gordon, Henry and I were locked up in the sheds..."

James pushed the express coaches to the platform and he was careful not to bump them. They seemed to glide along behind him.

"It's good to finally be pulling this train again!" said Gordon, full of pride and giving an eager whistle. Sir Topham Hatt and other important people were on board the train.

"You know, Sir Topham," said one of those people, "bowler hats are all the rage across the mainland these days."

"Uh... why do you say that?" Sir Topham Hatt asked with a cough.

"Well, you did wear a very nice looking bowler hat a couple of months ago," said the passenger.

"Yes, but it didn't really suit me at all," said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Whatever you say, sir..." shrugged the other passenger. As soon as the guard's whistle blew, Gordon was off.

"Look at me now!" he called proudly. "Express coming through! Goodbye little James; see you tomorrow."

James watched Gordon pull away with the express, and then he went back to work.

* * *

Back on the branch line, Edward found a line of empty trucks.

"Just going to take these to the quarry," he called to Percy. "You'll be okay on your own for a bit, right?"

"Of course I will," smiled Percy. "Is there anything else I should know, Edward?"

"Be careful if you choose to go onto the mainline," said Edward. "Whistle to alert the signalman if you want to go home."

"Okay, Edward," said Percy, but he hadn't been paying attention.

"See you later." The old blue tender engine cheerfully puffed away.

Percy didn't mind being left alone. He liked watching trains and being cheeky to the other engines.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he called as Henry went past.

"Yes, I am hurrying," Henry grunted. Unfortunately, Percy wasn't told of Henry's condition and the tank engine thought Henry was just grumpy.

"Big mainline engines," Percy chuckled to himself. He then spotted some empty trucks that were not in the best of condition.

"Ooh," he said, "I'd better take those to the Steamworks to be repaired."

Percy was coupled up to the trucks and headed out to the mainline, heading toward Crovan's Gate.

"The railway is huge," he said after passing Crosby. "But it's so beautiful here..."

* * *

When Percy got to Wellsworth, he realized he was running low on water. So he shunted the trucks into the siding and got a drink.

"I guess the mainline is a very long journey for a tank engine," said Percy to himself. "Oh well. I'll have to use the points to get back on my way." But because Percy hadn't been paying attention to Edward's advice, he didn't remember to whistle.

"What's taking the signalman so long?" he said anxiously.

"Not sure, ol' boy," said his driver. "We'd better check things out."

Just then, Percy glanced along the mainline and whistled in horror, for rushing straight towards him was Gordon and the express!

"Ooh, get out of my way!" he cried, with his crew applying the brakes. Percy's driver threw the regulator in reverse and then he and the fireman jumped down. Percy shut his eyes and braced himself for the impact. With a screeching noise, Gordon had finally stopped, his buffers just inches away from Percy's. The green tank engine blinked his eyes open.

"Phew..." he said quietly.

"Oh, botheration!" grunted Gordon. "This isn't where I'm meant to be. This is the loop line." Before he could reverse away to get back on the mainline, Gordon noticed that Percy was starting to reverse himself... without his crew!

"I won't stay here!" cried Percy, still frightened. "I'll run away!"

"Come back!" cried the driver and fireman, trying to race after Percy, but pairs of legs are nothing compared to an engine's wheels.

"I guess I'd better go after him," sighed Gordon. He left the passengers at Wellsworth and puffed away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Percy had whizzed by Wellsworth and went straight up Gordon's Hill without stopping.

"Okay, I think I'm far away enough," Percy panted. "Driver, you can stop me now." But there was no response from inside the cab.

"Oh no..." gasped Percy. "I don't have a driver. HELP!" Just then, he heard the sound of an engine's whistle coming towards him.

"Uh oh!" gasped Percy. "Who's that?!"

"I was only with you a few moments ago, who do you think it is?" came a sarcastic tone.

"Gordon?!" cried Percy. "I haven't got a crew on board! I need to stop!"

"Your crew is in my cab!" Gordon explained, and sure enough, there were four heads peeking through his windows instead of two.

"Oh, uh, thanks for that," said Percy. "Oh... my wheels are getting tired!"

Just then, both engines got close to a signal box and the signalman there kindly set the points for Percy. Gordon slowed down to avoid running into Percy as he backed onto the siding, which ran into a deep bank of earth.

"I want to stop... I want to stop... oh, I _have_ stopped."

"Are you alright, Percy?" asked Gordon with concern. "You started so quickly you prevented a worse accident."

"Better now that I've stopped," Percy admitted. "I'm sorry I was cheeky. You were clever to stop." Gordon had a cable attached to him and then he started to pull Percy out from the bank.

"What were you doing out here?" asked Gordon. "I thought you were playing on the branch line with Edward and Thomas."

"I was taking some old trucks to Steamworks but I didn't have enough water to get there," explained Percy.

"Oh, I understand," said Gordon. "But remember to whistle to the signalman if you want the points to be switched."

"Oh... _that's_ what Edward was trying to tell me before," Percy sighed.

"Right," said Gordon. "As for me... well... I was directed onto the loop by mistake. Guess I'd better get back to Knapford..."

After Percy was free, Gordon had the cable taken off and the two engines went their separate ways, the big engine thinking about what James may have to say.

* * *

Back at Knapford, James had arranged the trucks into their proper sidings and had fetched some coaches for Henry's next train. He had just brought Sean, Mick, Harry and Randolph onto the platform when he noticed something unusual.

"Hello," said James, glancing to the side, "what's going on?" There, he saw Gordon trying to sidle into the station unnoticed.

"Oh, hello, Gordon," said James, trying not to laugh. "I-is it tomorrow?"

Gordon didn't answer, and let off steam feebly.

"Did you, er, lose your way, Gordon?"

"No. It was lost for me. I was switched off the mainline onto the loop. I had to go all around and back again. Percy was also taking some trucks to Crovan's Gate to get fixed and I gave him a bit of a fright."

"Perhaps it was... instinct," said James.

"Ohh... the indignity," groaned Gordon. Meanwhile, all the passengers were hurrying to the booking office.

"I want my money back!" complained one of them.

"This is a terrible railway!" exclaimed Jeremiah Jobling. "Can't you have at least a day without anything going wrong?!"

"Now, now everyone..." said Sir Topham Hatt, climbing onto a trolley.

"Why were the points set for the loop?!" came another passenger.

A high pitched noise rang through the air, and the passengers saw that Sir Topham Hatt had blown the guard's whistle.

"Now that I have your attention," he said, once everyone was facing him, "I shall arrange for a new train at once."

He quickly flicked through his timetable. Henry was busy with another passenger run, Edward, Percy and Thomas weren't strong enough to take the express, and Gordon was in disgrace.

"Ah, James!" he said to the red engine. "Gordon's unable to take the express to Vicarstown. Do you think you can pull it, James?"

"Ooh, yes sir!" said James. "I'll try!" James gently buffered up to the train and everyone got aboard.

"Do your best, James," said Sir Topham Hatt as he looked out the window.

"I will, sir," said James. "And I'll try to make up for lost time as well." When the guard's whistle blew, James puffed proudly out of the station. He gave the coaches a smooth ride, and the passengers were already pleased with him.

* * *

The bridges and stations flashed by and passengers cheered. Down at Elsbridge, Thomas and Edward had come back from their runs and were in for a surprise.

"Was that James pulling the express?" asked Thomas in surprise.

"I think you're right," Edward agreed. "The only other red engines I know of on Sodor are Rheneas and Skarloey, and they don't live on this railway."

"I've never seen James so happy," said Annie.

"He'll be talking about this for weeks," agreed Clarabel.

* * *

At last, James reached Vicarstown. The express was still several minutes behind schedule, but the passengers knew that James had done his best.

"Thank you, James," smiled one of them. "You gave us a wonderful run."

"Indeed he has," agreed Sir Topham Hatt. "James, would you like to pull the express sometimes?"

"Oh, yes please, sir!" answered James happily.

* * *

The next day, when James was back from taking the express, the six engines were gathered at Tidmouth sheds.

"I thought I saw you flying along with the express yesterday, James," said Henry.

"You weren't just seeing things, Henry," said James proudly. "I took the express after Gordon took a wrong turn."

"A wrong turn?" asked Edward. "What exactly happened?"

"I was... directed on the loop by mistake and had to go all the way back," Gordon said quietly, embarrassed.

"Indeed he did," said Sir Topham Hatt, walking up to his engines. He then turned to Gordon. "I also heard something about you knowing the way by instinct. The signalman directs where you go!"

"Uh... yes sir..." Gordon sighed.

"And some of the passengers said you left them down at Wellsworth for a good few minutes," Sir Topham Hatt continued.

"That was my fault, sir," Percy piped up. Sir Topham Hatt turned to him with surprise, and so the little green engine explained what had happened yesterday.

"I see..." said Sir Topham Hatt.

"And to Percy's credit, sir," added Gordon. "He did start off quickly to prevent me from crashing into him."

"Hmm... Well, considering that you both did well to be honest with me and what happened, you are both let off with a warning," Sir Topham Hatt said at last.

"I... also want to apologize for my behavior to you all, especially lately," Gordon spoke. "Edward, you were very kind to shunt the trains for us when we refused to; James, you did very well to take the express; Henry, you can't help with your condition and you work really hard despite that; Thomas, you've earned your branch line fair and square; and Percy, you are a welcome addition to our fleet."

"Uh... well, thank you, Gordon," said Thomas, a little surprised by the big engine's words of praise and humbleness.

"Indeed," said Edward, almost as shocked as Thomas. "I've never seen this side of him before."

"Let's hope we see more of this side of you, Gordon," said Sir Topham Hatt. "It's times like this where I am very proud to call you all my engines."

"And we are proud to be your engines too, sir," smiled Henry.

* * *

Gordon and James had become firm friends after James took the express for the first time. The red engine would take the express on occasion to let Gordon have a rest. Gordon even admitted that he likes "quiet work" for a change and wished to teach the trucks manners... but not too often in a row, especially when it came to a certain ballast truck after he'd lost another tooth from a few bumps. Both Gordon and James shared similar views on trucks as well.

Percy is still cheeky, because he is that sort of engine, but is always careful when he goes on the mainline. He also started to connect with the just as cheeky Thomas, much to Edward's amusement.

Dexter was also fixed, and Percy had brought him back from the Steamworks after dropping off the trucks. He was very happy to know that James had improved over his bootlace incident. Though Dexter still breaks down more than your average coach, he's still as kind as he ever was.

As for Henry... well, he still suffers from his small firebox and other problems, but he still hoped things would get better for him. But I mustn't tell you anymore, or I shall spoil the next story...

**THE END (for now)**

* * *

**Author's Comments**

So here we are with the final chapter of mine and Rachel's _The Adventure Continues_, based upon the stories of _Percy Runs Away_ and _James and the Express_.

For alterations from the original stories, the conversation between the big engines now takes place in the day rather than in the evening and we provided an explanation as to how Percy ended up on the mainline. Plus we see Gordon going after him rather than simply showing up after Percy stops at the bank of earth.

And for a little behind the scenes, there was initially a scene where Percy meets with Rheneas, but that was changed because I didn't think Percy would be able to reach Crovan's Gate before Gordon did. Rheneas still gets a mention, though.

So what were your thoughts on mine and Rachel's personal take on _The Adventure Continues_? Were there some parts that you think could've been improved upon? In regards to the remaining stories from _Tank Engine Thomas Again_, I probably won't do _Thomas, Terence and the Snow_ since that's already been adapted in CGI - well, sort of, as part of a flashback for _Terence Breaks the Ice_ in season 21. But I'm not opposed to doing one for _Thomas and Bertie_, though.

Other than that, where do I go from there? Well, I have some ideas in my mind for future rewrites, as well as a potential _Adventure Begins_ threequel with Henry and Toby's stories and maybe the odd original story. As Ringo Starr once said, "tomorrow never knows."

Bye!


End file.
